History Rhymes in Times of Crisis: What the 1832 Cholera Outbreak, and the Covid crisis Teaches Us About Modern Pandemics

"A favorite theory of mine [is] that no occurrence is sole and solitary, but is merely a repetition of a thing which has happened before, and perhaps often." — Mark Twain

When reading Charles E. Rosenberg’s seminal 1962 historical study, The Cholera Years: The United States in 1832, 1849, and 1866, it is almost impossible not to experience a disturbing sense of déjà vu.

While nearly two centuries separate the 1832 cholera epidemic from the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, the human experience during both crises reveals striking parallels. Despite our vastly superior medical technology, modern human psychology, political friction, social inequalities, and institutional panic played out using a playbook that felt written 188 years prior.

Here is a closer look at how two vastly different eras confronted an invisible killer—and why history doesn't just repeat itself, but rhymes.

1. The Distant Threat and the Myth of Immunity

Both pandemics began as distant tragedies unfolding on far-off shores. In the early 1830s, cholera travelled west from Asia through Russia and Continental Europe before crossing the Atlantic. Similarly, COVID-19 made headlines in early 2020 as a novel respiratory illness spreading rapidly through Wuhan before cascading across Italy and Western Europe.

In both instances, the initial reaction in North America was marked by a blend of morbid fascination and dangerous complacency:

In 1832: Many Americans believed their cities—newer, cleaner, and less densely crammed than the "Old World" slums of London or Paris—would be naturally immune.

In 2020: Public figures on both sides of the aisle downplayed the the threat, comparing the novel coronavirus to seasonal flu or reassuring the public that geographical distance and screening protocols would keep the virus at bay.

In both eras, the belief that "it can't happen here" quickly vanished as the disease arrived on American soil.

2. Medical Ignorance and Pseudoscience

The core terror of both outbreaks was rooted in medical uncertainty. In 1832, doctors did not yet know that cholera was caused by the Vibrio cholerae bacterium. Instead, mainstream medicine blamed "miasma" (foul air), atmospheric shifts, or moral failings.

Without confirmed scientific treatments, quack remedies flourished:

1832 Panic Buying: Handbills promoted camphor, laudanum, and opium as miracle preventatives. The price of camphor doubled overnight as frightened citizens emptied apothecary shelves—the 19th-century equivalent of hoarding hand sanitizer and toilet paper.

2020 Debates: Desperate for quick solutions, public figures and laymen passionately argued over unproven treatments, while anti-establishment voices claimed 5G internet towers were destroying immune systems.

In both centuries, when scientific consensus is still forming, public anxiety creates a vacuum easily filled by panaceas and misinformation.

3. Inequality Exposed: A "Poor Man's Plague"

Perhaps the most sobering parallel between 1832 and 2020 is how ruthlessly both diseases targeted the economically vulnerable.

When cholera hit New York City in June 1832, an estimated 100,000 affluent residents—nearly half the population—fled to rural retreats. The working-class majority, particularly at the time, impoverished Irish immigrants and African American communities, had no choice but to remain (Both those communities today are nowhere near as poor as they were then, as it was the 19th century). They relied on shared public water pumps and lived in tightly packed quarters, leading to devastatingly high death rates. Most victims were buried in paupers' graveyards like Potter’s Field.

Fast forward to 2020: while the "laptop class" retreated into remote work and ordered grocery deliveries, essential workers, transit employees, and low-income families faced high exposure risks. Modern housing and sanitation are vastly superior to those of the 19th century, yet structural inequalities ensured that lower socioeconomic groups once again bore a disproportionate share of the burden.

4. Quarantines, Protests, and Civil Unrest

State-mandated public health measures have always ignited fierce resistance.

During the 1832 epidemic, local authorities set up quarantines, and river towns along the Erie Canal blockaded trade to keep infected travelers out. Armed vigilantism flared up in rural areas, while in places like Liverpool, UK, full-blown "cholera riots" erupted due to wild rumors that doctors were killing patients for anatomical dissection.

In 2020, while vigilantes weren't taking up muskets at state borders, lockdown mandates sparked armed protests at state capitals, fierce debates over face coverings, and deep anger over the economic fallout of business closures. In both eras, the public bristled when state authority infringed upon individual movement and livelihood.

5. Politicization in an Election Year

It is a curious historical coincidence that both major health crises hit the United States during high-stakes presidential election years:

1832: President Andrew Jackson, a polarizing figure known for shaking up established political norms, faced intense criticism from political opponents. One major political flashpoint was Jackson's refusal to declare a national day of fasting and prayer, arguing it violated the separation of church and state.

2020: President Donald Trump faced daily scrutiny over task-force briefings, federal response coordination, and disagreements with top medical advisers like Dr. Anthony Fauci.

In both periods, public health policy was instantly weaponized for political gain, turning epidemic management into a partisan litmus test.

Conclusion: The Endurance of Human Nature

Eventually, both epidemics receded. The 1832 outbreak faded by late autumn as seasonal temperatures dropped and susceptible populations dispersed—only to return in subsequent waves decades later. COVID-19 was eventually brought under control through global vaccination campaigns and acquired immunity.

What reading historical accounts like The Cholera Years reveals is that while pathogen biology changes, human nature remains constant. When faced with an invisible threat to our survival, human societies default to predictable patterns: initial denial, panic buying, scapegoating, political infighting, and heroism among healthcare workers.

Recognizing these historical patterns won't prevent the next pandemic—but it might help us respond with greater humility, empathy, and preparedness when history inevitably rhymes again.

Sources & Further Reading

Rosenberg, Charles E. The Cholera Years: The United States in 1832, 1849, and 1866. University of Chicago Press, 1962.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) Historical Archives on 19th-Century Epidemics.

World Health Organization (WHO) COVID-19 Response Documentation.

Co-pilot and Gemini helped me write this article.